The mulled change of name from the National Health Insurance Fund has been necessitated by the need to focus on primary and preventive healthcare, the health CS Susan Wafula has said.

The CS on Thursday disclosed that there were plans to change the name from NHIF to National Social Health Insurance Fund (NSHIF).

The CS noted that there currently exist several schemes that take care of different cohorts of people, adding that there is a need to consolidate them into one as one big fund.

“We have the one for elderly, for orphaned children, we have Linda Mama, we have Edu Afya; so what we are going to do with the NSHIF is we want to bring these funds together so that we shall no longer have them in silos,” she explained.

The CS has estimated that once put together, the various schemes will give close to Sh12.6 billion.

“With this Sh12.6 billion we are now doing the math and see how much more the government should add so that each and every Kenyan can be able to access healthcare down there,” she said.

The ministry expects to raise additional funds for the health scheme through the tobacco control fund and from a fraction of the betting fund.

"You and I can afford healthcare when but when our people are sick it is you and I who are in WhatsApp groups; what about we do one major fundraising rather than having WhatsApp groups for fundraising all the time?” the CS paused.

This comes barely a year after the name was changed from the National Hospital Insurance Fund to the current National Health Insurance Fund.